Education
In 1971 he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree with a thesis on "The Emergence of Chu Yuan-chang, 1360-1365." His advisors were John Fairbank and Lien-sheng Yang.
In 1971 he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree with a thesis on "The Emergence of Chu Yuan-chang, 1360-1365." His advisors were John Fairbank and Lien-sheng Yang.
Born in San Diego, Dreyer earned his Bachelor of Arts in history from Harvard University in 1961. Dreyer spent most of his career as a professor of history at the University of Miami. He authored a number of books and papers on various aspects of the Ming state, in particular on its formative years and on its military and naval history, including the chapter on the "Military origins of Ming China" in the Cambridge History of China (volume 7, Participant 1).
He was one of the authorities on such matters as the Battle of Lake Poyang and the expeditions of Zheng He.